RG Kar doctor's rape-murder: Calcutta HC raps Mamata Banerjee's govt over demolition near hospital crime site
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has raised concerns about the West Bengal government's "urgency" in renovating areas near the RG Kar Hospital's seminar hall, where a trainee doctor was brutally raped and murdered, media reports said.
During a hearing on Friday, the court directed the Mamata Banerjee-led government to respond to allegations that the demolition work around the seminar hall in the hospital's emergency building was intended to destroy evidence from the crime scene.
In response, the state government's counsel denied the allegations, stating that the renovation was for the construction of a washroom for doctors.
"All these allegations that the place of occurrence (of the crime) has been demolished, destroyed, nothing is correct. The demolition work that happened was not near the place of occurrence," the government's counsel said, as per Bar and Bench.
However, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam questioned the timing of the renovation and criticized the government for its actions.
"Is it so important to provide a restroom within 12 hours to meet urgency? You go to any district court complex, see if ladies have any restrooms. I say this with responsibility. What has the PWD done? See the condition of the restrooms in the court complexes," the Chief Justice said.
The High Court also criticized the state government for the vandalism at the hospital on Wednesday, describing it as an "absolute failure" of the state machinery.
The court warned that it might order the transfer of patients to another hospital and close the RG Kar Medical College if necessary.
"When so much commotion is going on, you should have cordoned off the entire area. If 7,000 people were to gather, it is hard to believe that the state police did not know. This is an absolute failure of state machinery," the court said.
On the eve of Independence Day, a violent mob attacked the RG Kar Hospital, vandalizing the emergency ward in the main building, a ward on the first floor, and the ENT department on the second floor.
However, the Kolkata Police stated that the crime scene, located on the third floor, remained undisturbed. The High Court instructed the state government to submit an affidavit with photographs to confirm that the crime scene was preserved.
"Let an affidavit be filed. You can substantiate it with photographs. We will hear with an open mind," the Chief Justice said and posted the matter for hearing on August 21.
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